Lamp assembly



Sept. 2, 1941. B. s. ELORADAY 2,254,518

LAMP ASSEMBLY Filed July 27, 1938 Patented Sept. 2, 1941 UNITED s'm'rs r FFICE LAMP ASSEMBLY Burton S. Floraday, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Detroit Harvester Company, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Michigan Application July 27, 1938, Serial No. 221,481

3 Claims.

ily and conveniently mounted without the use of bolts, screws or other connecting devices and greatly facilitating the assembly of the parts.

Another object is to enable *the lens to be mounted on its bracket by a snap action, thus eliminating the use of connecting devices such as screws.

A further object is to produce an exceedingly simple and inexpensive lamp assembly having the novel features of construction and arrangement hereinafter described.

For purposes of illustration but not of limitation, embodiments of the invention are shown on the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of a lamp assembly mounted on a panel such as the inside panel of a vehicle body;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1 with the lens removed;

Figure 3 is a plan View of a portion of the inside panel to which the lamp bracket plate is applied; 1

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional'elevation on the line 4-4 of Figure 1;

admit the tongues or tabs as will hereinafter be described. The aperture I2 includes a longitudinally extending opening I6 and a V-shaped opening or cut-out I! in advance of the adjacent projections I4. Formed in each of the projections I4 is a relatively small hole I8 for a purpose which will hereinafter appear.

7 The lamp bracket plate comprises a sheet metal strip I9 formed with strengthening ribs 20, and

a depressed or cupped portion 2| which projects rearwardly and is adapted to be disposed within the aperture I6 of the mounting plate. The cupportion ZI is disposed in rear of the lamp bulb 22 which is carried by an upstanding bracket 23 having laterally extending ears 24 to engage the bulb. The bracket 23 is held to thebracket plate It by rivets Z5 and a spring contact finger 26 suitably insulated from the bracket plate I9 is engaged by a depending tube 21 which extends through the bracket plate into the V-shaped opening I? of the mounting plate. It will be understood that the leads are suitably clamped to the tube 21.

The bracket plate I9 is secured to the mounting plate I0 without the use of any screws, bolts or other similar connecting devices but on the Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 5-5 of Figure 2; I

Figure 6 is a plan view of a lamp assembly with a portion of the lens broken away in which the bracket plate is connected by a turning movement;

Figure '7 is an'enlarged sectional view substantially on the line I--'l of Figure 6, and

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing an alternate means of securing the lens and bracket plate.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 5 comprises a mounting plate I0 which may be a separate plate disposed in the inside of the vehicle body or may constitute an integral body panel. As shown, the plate I0 is covered by textile covering II. As shown in Figure 3, the mounting. plate It] is formed with openings or apertures I2 and I3 and integral with the plate and extending into 1 these openings are laterally spaced tongue or tab engaging projections I4. The projections I4 are arranged in pairs'spaced longitudinally of each other. As shown, a space I5 is provided other hand is adapted to be connected to the mounting plate by a relative shifting movement between the plates whereby the parts are securely held in engagement in a rigid manner although the same may be disconnected quickly. As shown, the bracket plate I9 is formed with four tabs or tongues 28, one being provided for each of the projections It on the mounting plate. t will be apparent that the tongues 28 are arranged in pairs, the tongues of each pair being spaced laterally from each other and one pair being. spaced longitudinally from the other. The tongues are stamped from the body of the bracket plate and are disposed in planes substantially parallel with the body of the plate. In applying the bracket plate to the mounting plate, the tongues 28 are inserted in the spaces I5 provided in rear of the projections It and thereafter the bracket plate is slid rectilinearly forwardly or upwardly to dispose the tongues 28 in overlapping relation to the projections I4 on the side thereof opposite to the bracket plate. It will be understood that the tongues 28 are spaced from the body of the bracket plate a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the mounting plate thereby to provide an intimate engagement between the parts. Formed on each of the tongues 28 is an upwardly pressed nubbin directly in rear of each of the projections I4 to 55 or tit 29 which is adapted to snap into the hole forming to the shape thereof is a lens 30 which,

in this instance, is formed of molded plastic material such as Plaskon. For holding the lens in place the bracket plate i formed with integral.

inwardly curved flanges 3| on opposite sides, the

' flanges 3| extending longitudinally of the bracket plate between the tongues 28. Opposite ends It is to be understood that numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A lamp mounting comprising a mounting plate, a lamp unit including a sheet metal bracket plate, a plurality of spaced inwardly inof the bracket plate are formed with upstanding flanges 32 adapted to be disposed inside of the lens 33. Extending inwardly from opposite sides of the lens are longitudinal flanges 33 which are adapted to snap over the bracket flanges 3| thereby to hold the lens in place substantially as shown in Figure 4.

In the form shown in Figures 6 and '7, the mounting plate Illa is formed with three projections Ma which are equi-distant radially. The bracket plate 19a is formed with three tongues 28a which are adapted to frictionally engage the projections l4a by a turning movement of the bracket plate I9a as will be readily understood. In other words the bracket plate is connected in the form shown in these figures by a turningmovement instead of a rectilinear sliding movement as in the above described form. In this form the lens 30a is also formed with a flange 33a, which is adapted to snap over an inwardly curved flange 3| a on the bracket plate Isa. 1 From theabove description, it will be apparent that the bracket plate l9 or [9a can be readily applied to the mounting plate by relative shifting movement between the plates, in the one case a rectilinear sliding movement and in the othercase, a turning movement. When in place the frictional contact between the tongues and projections supplemented by the cooperative action of "the nubbins 29 enteringthe holes i8, serve to securely retain the parts in'assembled relation but enable these parts to be disconnected when desired. The lens which abuts against the mounting plate providing an attractive finished appearance, can be readily mounted or detached, the snap action between the flanges on the lens and bracket plate facilitating assembly and pro- Viding a satisfactory and. eflicient means for holding these parts together.

' As shown in Figure'B, the lens 30b has anintegralinwardly extending nubbin 34 which is adapted to snap intoan aperture 35 formed on the flange 3lb of the'bracket plate l9b.. Suflicient resiliency is provided in the parts to enable the lens to be forced into position so that one or more nubbins 34 may enter into the apertures 35 and thereby hold the parts in assembled relation.

clined flanges on said bracket plate, a lens having flange means adapted to cooperate with said bracket flanges for enabling the lens to be engaged by a snap action, a plurality of spaced tongues on said bracket plate stamped therefrom and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the body of the bracket plate and spaced therefrom substantially the thickness of said mounting plate, said mounting plate having cutouts to receive said tongues whereby upon relative shifting movement between said plates the tongues overlap and frictionally engage the mounting plate side opposite from the bracket plate,'and'nubbins pressed from said tongues and engaging in apertures formed in said mounting plate.

2. A lamp'mounting comprising a mounting plate, a lamp unit including a sheet metal bracket plate, an inwardly inclined flange on opposite sides of said bracket plate, a lens having a flange on opposite sides adapted to cooperate with said bracket flanges for enabling the lens to be engaged by a snap action, a pair of laterally spaced tongues at opposite ends of said bracket plate stamped therefrom and disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the body of the bracket plate and spaced therefrom substantially the thickness of said mounting plate, said mounting plate having cut-outs to receive said tongues whereby upon relative shifting 'movement between said plates the tongues overlap and frictionally engage the mounting plate side opposite from the bracket plate, and nubbins pressed from said tongues and engaging in aperturesformed in said mounting plate.,

3. A lamp mounting comprising-a mounting plate, a lamp unit including a sheet metal bracket plate, an inwardly inclined flange on opposite sides of said bracket plate, a lens having a; flange on opposite side adapted to cooperate with said bracket flanges for enabling the lens to be engaged by a snap action; a pair of laterally spaced tongues at opposite ends of saidbracket plate stamped therefrom and disposed. in a plane substantially parallel to the body of the bracket plate and spaced therefrom (substantially the thickness of said mounting plate, said mounting plate havingcut-outs to receive said tongues whereby upon relative shifting movement between said plates the tongues overlap and frictionally engage the mounting plate side opposite from the bracket plate. I

BURTON Sr FLORADAY. 

